Larry Fitzgerald, Jr. in the media spotlight
By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 07/1/2009
Last year, Larry Fitzgerald, Jr. had a season to dream for: 96 receptions for 1,431 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he led all NFC receivers.
Fitzgerald was sensational in the playoffs, leading the Cardinals to the NFC West title and their first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
In the playoffs, Fitzgerald in four games including Super Bowl XLIII — a 27-23 last-second loss to Pittsburgh — set NFL records with 30 receptions for 546 yards and seven touchdowns. And he grabbed MVP honors in the 2009 Pro Bowl game.
Madison Avenue has taken notice, and this year Fitzgerald is cashing in on his hard work after being featured on back-to-back covers of Sports Illustrated. He's also on the cover of EA Sports' enormously popular 2010 Madden Football video game and the cover of an upcoming GQ magazine.
ESPN filmed a Monday Night Football cooking segment from Fitzgerald's Minnesota home with Chef Steff. He has marketing deals with EAS, NFLPA, International House of Pancakes, Nike, Cold Stone Creamer and others. And he was featured on a Father's Day segment of the Emmy Award-winning, top-rated local sports show Rosen Sports Sunday with yours truly, Larry Sr.
Also, Fitzgerald in July had his first football camp and had three ex-Vikings greats, Cris Carter, Randall McDaniel, and John Randle, there to help.
“Larry sent me an email that he was having his first annual camp,” said Carter, “and I really thought — beside the obvious: coming back to Minnesota and doing something for the kids — that this is a sign of maturity in a young football player.
“…He could have a camp in Arizona and have thousands of kids out there and charge three, four or five hundred dollars and make a lot of money,” Carter added. “But he decided to come back home, and this will always be home for him. And it's nice for me because you like to think that some of the things that you put into him, time and things you said, that would really carry over. That [he] would not lose sight of what real life is about and lose sight of helping people.”
Fitz Notes & Quotes
Inter-League hitting stars: Minnesota's Joe Mauer, .439, four home runs, 11 RBI; Los Angeles' Torii Hunter, .359, five home runs, 14 RBI; Chicago's Derek Lee, .382, four home runs, 11 RBI.
Number-one overall picks are sluggers: Twins superstar Joe Mauer was selected number-one overall in 2001 in the Major League Baseball Draft and already has hit a career-high 14 home runs this season despite missing all of April. In 2006 Mauer hit 13 home runs, previously his best. Hall of Famer Paul Molitor said, “It's a sign of his body maturing.”
Previous MLB number-one picks overall have been sluggers: Ken Griffey, Jr., drafted in 1987, has hit 619 career home runs. Alex Rodriguez, drafted in 1993, has 562 career home runs. Chipper Jones, drafted in 1990, has 416. Harold Baines, drafted in 1977, hit 384 career homers. Mauer in just his sixth season has 58 career home runs.
Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:20 am, and on WDGY-AM 740 Monday & Saturday mornings at 7:50 am and Fridays at 3:50 pm; he also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Larry welcomes reader responses to lfitzgerald@spokesman-re corder.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com.
